Editor’s Eye
As the government has
moved to introduce regulations to control the lucrative tea sector, it has
failed to focus on the multi nationals.
The government has
centered on small scale tea growers , as it has turned a blind eye on the multi
nationals who have dominated the export trade and who manipulate the
auction market.
With much anxiety on
the introduction of the regulations imposed by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary
Peter Munya, there is a need for a level playing ground for the stakeholders.
The small scale
growers own 60 percent of tea in the country, with the multinationals in
estates located in parts of Rift Valley controlling the rest.
There are mixed
reactions with planned implementation of the imposed regulation, with directors in charge of the 69
tea factories flouting formulae used to conduct views from the
stakeholders in the sector.
Worst still is
the farmers are exploited by merchants in the villages who are selling
substandard fertilizers, after KTDA was unable to import the same for
distribution, as the tradition.
In Kigumo and
Gatanga sub counties, a section of farmers have reported having been hoodwinked
and bought fertilizer with high concentration of Sulphur.
The Sulphur is acidic
to the soils and harmful to tea bushes.
As per the
prayer of the farmers there is need for the re-introduction of the Tea Board of
Kenya that used to regulate the sector and be facilitated to explore
potential markets for our produce.
The Government has not helped factories
dispose of piles of stock in warehouses.
In addition, there are
absolutely no extension services provided to the farmers. In the new
regulations, the Government has not made any commitment in terms of subsidies,
loan guarantees towards value addition or even reduction of taxes on inputs.
The players in the
industry acclaim the Government is suffering from hyperlexis by creating new
laws against other existing laws.
A case in point is a
regulation to control the number of Factory Directors, a regulation not
consistent with the Companies act, 2015.
This phenomenon may lead to
unfathomable litigations as a result of too many laws with too little justice.
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